Double Entry journal #14: Group Work and Inquiry Approaches

Here is a link to the article referenced in this journal entry: (link to the article is right here)


What are some challenges to inquiry approaches to learning?


Inquiry approaches require a support group for the teachers and the students. There needs to be time to implement inquiry learning. Curriculum changes that are very new to teachers have to happen to implement inquiry learning. All of these factors can undermine the lesson of doing things with an understanding, and not just doing. 

What are the benefits of group work? Give two concrete examples from the reading.

1. Groups outperform individuals, but the level of productivity depends on the group structure and how students cooperate.

Barron (2000a,b; Barron 2003)

2. Students learn how to debate their differing opinions by working in groups (Amigues, 1988; Phelps & Damon, 1989).

 

Name one strategy to support group work and find an example of that strategy on the Internet and link me to it.

I found an interesting observation in this article: (link to the article is right here). This article points out that since students are not expected to do very much in groups, they tackle group work with very little enthusiasm. Students become used to this cycle of very little happening in groups. When given a creative and purposeful task, student participation will increase. 

Even if the teacher wishes for students to study together in groups, students can make a group list of important topics for the studying. There are always little tricks to ensure group productivity. 

(There is a list of strategies at the the bottom of page 12 and the top of page 13)

References:

Barron, B. (2000a). Achieving coordination 

in collaborative problem-solving groups. 

Journal of the Learning Sciences, 9(4), 

403–436

Amigues, R. (1988). Peer interaction in 

solving physics problems: Sociocognitive 

confrontation and metacognitive aspects. 

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 

45(1), 141–158.

Phelps, E., & Damon, W. (1989). Problem 

solving with equals: Peer collaboration as 

a context for learning mathematics and 

spatial concepts. Journal of Educational 

Psychology, 81(4), 639–646